Breeze through Black Friday with ease

Mark the date in your diary, Friday 24 November 2017 and don’t miss out on bagging yourself some brilliant Black Friday bargains on all sorts of products, and just in time for Christmas. But while it is easy to just snatch and grab, especially when fighting the hordes of people who will also be shopping for bargains, it might be wise to take a step back and plan for your Black Friday shopping spree, so you can breeze through Black Friday with ease.

Whilst bargains and discounts might not have been released yet, many retailers have already confirmed that they will be participating in Black Friday sales, including Argos, Boots, GAME, Maplin, Debenhams and New Look.

Whether you’re after this year’s hottest toys, latest tech, this season’s must-have fashions or homeware, the most important thing is to be prepared.

DO YOUR RESEARCH & BE REWARDED

It pays to be prepared on Black Friday and if you want to get the best deals then you have to be organised. Retailers last year started their Black Friday deals much earlier, and this year you will be lured by substantial discounts in a bid to persuade you to start your Christmas shopping early, so if you start to plan your spend a week in advance of the big day you are less likely to miss out.

• Many retailers have Black Friday deals already online with more discounts coming in-store on the day itself. If you’re after big-ticket gadgets such as televisions, laptops, cameras, smartphones, smartwatches, games consoles and tablets, be assured it will probably be discounted.
• Sign up to store newsletters and follow your selected retailers them on Facebook and Twitter to make sure you get information on great deals as soon as they are announced.
• If you feel like you’re going to overspend set a budget and do your planning and price comparisons on-line first. If you do your research and pinpoint what products and models you want well in advance, it will save you time on the day when you’ll have to act fast in-store.
• Boost your savings by planning in advance how you are going to pay for your goods. Choose which cards you may use, whether it’s a cashback credit card or you’re collecting Avios, make sure you maximise on your spending by using the right card, and don’t forget to take your store loyalty cards along with you too.

You may be overwhelmed by the discounts and items on offer, so don’t lose sight of the items you actually want. Our hot tips for this year’s Black Friday are toys and tech, and these are the hot ticket items to look out for.

TREAT THEM TO TOYS FOR LESS

Black Friday is probably the best time to get your toy shopping for Christmas out of the way, and save money too. For the kiddies ‘My Little Pony’ merchandise is huge this year as the new movie is released in time for Christmas, but there are many other toys inspired by movies and TV shows that are tipped to be as popular with kids of all ages this year.

PAW Patrol Sea Patroller Vehicle available at Argos, Wilko and Tesco
Nerf N-Strike Elite Retaliator available at Argos, Asda and Tesco
Hatchimals Surprise Giraven available at Argos

My Little Pony Cutie Mark Pack available at Argos
My Little Pony Magic of Everypony 10 Pony figure set available at Tesco
My Little Pony Fashion Runway Playset available at Wilko

Lego is also a firm favourite with new Lego building kits and themed LEGO kits entering the market regularly. Why not help develop your children’s creativity with the gift of Lego and see their imaginations grow as they build new and existing things from these well-loved little bricks?

LEGO Ninjago Movie Flying Jelly Sub available at Argos
LEGO Ninjago Movie Garma Mecha Man available at Tesco and Asda
LEGO Star Wars Resistance X-Wing Fighter available at Asda, Argos and Tesco

BARGAIN BASEMENT TECH

Some of the latest tech and devices can be found in the Black Friday sales at bargain basement prices, including the highly anticipated iPhone X, as well as the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, and the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note8.

When it comes to finding your smartphone on Black Friday, it is a good idea to go in with an idea of not only the phone that you want, but the data package you require as well. If you are someone who spends a lot of time on social media and messaging apps, you will want a contract that comes with a lot of data, so keep your eyes peeled for good data deals too.

iPhone X available at Three, Carphone Warehouse, O2, Vodafone and EE
iPhone 8 available at O2, Carphone Warehouse, Vodafone, EE, Sky and Three
Samsung Galaxy Note8 available at Three, Carphone Warehouse, Sky, EE, Vodafone and O2
Samsung Galaxy S8 available at Three, EE, Carphone Warehouse, Sky, Vodafone and O2

If you’re into gaming, the Nintendo Switch is a hot item this year, and you may find some great deals on this console once Black Friday comes around. The Xbox One X which launches in November is another game console that Xbox fans will have their eye on in the hopes of bagging a bargain.

Nintendo Switch Console available at Argos and GAME
Xbox One X available at GAME